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The first phase of ticket sales for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa ended at midnight on 31 March with applications for a total of 1,635,136 tickets since tickets first went on sale on 20 February 2009.

Approximately 30% of the applications have come from South African residents, with 70% from the rest of the world. Applications were received from 205 countries, with tickets for the opening match and the final in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium on 11 July 2010 in most demand. Team specific ticket series applications account for more than 50% of the applications. There were no problems experienced with the order procedures during the first ticket sales phase. The highest number of ticket applications came from residents in South Africa, followed by those from the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia, in that order. The most popular category on average was Category 3.

"This impressive total underlines the extraordinary level of interest all over the globe. Not surprisingly, the opening match and the final are most sought after. But we are delighted that the team specific series is in such big demand, even before the actual fixtures for the tournament are known," said David Will, FIFA Honorary Vice-President and Chairman of the FIFA Ticketing Sub-Committee.

All applications received will be entered into a random selection draw which will be held on 15 April 2009. Applicants will be informed, either via email or SMS, by the end of this month at the latest, letting them know whether their application was successful or not. Further details on the first round of applications will be made available after all the data has been processed following the Draw.

"It is very pleasing to see the huge global interest in the first African FIFA World Cup. We want to encourage even more South Africans and Africans to apply for their FIFA World Cup tickets during the next sales phase, so they do not miss out on this unique once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 Organising Committee.

The ticketing application site on FIFA.com will remain closed until the second sales phase, which will start on 4 May 2009, and will then remain open until 16 November Tickets will then be allocated on a first come, first served basis, subject to availability in this sales period, i.e. applications will be processed in the order they are received.

(Source: FIFA)